Bullet News: Diodati encouraged - but not surprised - by support for idea of erecting Nik Wallenda statue

by jmaloni

Wed, Jul 18th 2012 01:40 pm

by John Robbins/Bullet News

At this point, it's still little more than a concept percolating
inside his head.

But Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said he's encouraged by the
mostly positive response he has received since musing publicly about
the idea of erecting a bronze statue somewhere in the Table Rock area
commemorating Nik Wallenda's historic wirewalk across the Horseshoe
Falls.

A Bullet News online poll inviting readers to weigh in on the idea
garnered more than 1,100 votes.

Of those who participated, 59 percent said they're in favor of
the concept, while 37 percent are opposed and just under four per
cent are undecided.

While not scientific, said Diodati, the poll shows there's
plenty of interest and the idea is worth exploring in more detail.

"I'm not surprised," Diodati said of the poll results and
the feedback he has received first-hand from people following the
June 15 event.

"People are still talking about (the event) all over the world."

The statue, if erected, would be about more than just
memorializing the walk and Wallenda, the first person in more than
100 years to wirewalk across the Niagara Gorge.

It's about continued marketing of the the Falls, the city and
its attractions.

Diodati envisions some kind of interactive statue depicting
Wallenda walking with his long balance poles, and the falls in the
background. The interactive part would be where people could join
Wallenda on the make-believe wire for photos.

Thanks to the magic of social media, says Diodati, tourists would
then share those photos with family and friends online, giving the
city a hefty dose of free publicity.